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<\/p>\nFor Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno, John Mozeliak represents something different.<\/p>\n
After taking control of the club in May 2003, Moreno inherited Bill Stoneman as his general manager, then went with four straight first-time heads of baseball operations \u2013 Tony Reagins, Jerry Dipoto, Billy Eppler and Perry Minasian (Dipoto was interim GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks from July 1 to Sept. 22, 2010, but that was the extent of his experience in the role).<\/p>\n
Mozeliak, who on Friday joined the Angels as a Baseball Operations Consultant, serving as interim GM, is the opposite kind of hire.<\/p>\n
When he stepped down at the end of last season as the St. Louis Cardinals\u2019 president of baseball operations, Mozeliak was the game\u2019s second-longest tenured lead executive, behind only the New York Yankees\u2019 Brian Cashman.<\/p>\n
Mozeliak, 57, ran the Cardinals for 18 seasons, helping transitioning Chaim Bloom into the top job in his final year. He was out of the game less than nine months when the Angels came calling. And though his contract runs only through December, the task he faces is enormous \u2014 reversing the course of a franchise steamrolling toward its 11th straight losing season.<\/p>\n
The Cardinals accomplished much during Mozeliak\u2019s tenure, reaching the postseason 10 times, capturing the National League pennant twice and winning the 2011 World Series. The team eventually sputtered, missing the postseason in each of the past three seasons. But compared to Anaheim, St. Louis was indeed baseball heaven.<\/p>\n
With the Angels, Mozeliak not only must overcome a losing culture, but also navigate a relationship with Moreno, a challenge his predecessors found exasperating. The extent to which Moreno will grant Mozeliak autonomy is an open question. Mozeliak addressed that concern and others Tuesday in an interview with The Athletic.<\/p>\n
At what point after stepping down did you realize you wanted to get back into baseball operations? And why the Angels? What about this opportunity stood out to you?<\/p>\n
There was never a moment in time that I felt like I had to get back in. I think really what happened was, the presentation of this opportunity intrigued me to want to do it.<\/p>\n
What intrigued you?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always liked a good challenge. And after speaking with Molly (Jolly), their team president, over the past few weeks, the more we discussed this opportunity and the challenges that lie ahead, I just found it very intriguing, compelling and interesting.<\/p>\n
I was enjoying my time away from baseball. But this was something, in speaking with her, where I felt like this might be a very good fit for myself and this organization.<\/p>\n
What was it like being out of the game? It seems like you got the itch to return pretty quickly.<\/p>\n
A lot of people have sort of asked me that. The one thing about baseball is that you never get that break. The fact that I did get to have that time away, you could term it almost like a sabbatical. You can get recharged and refreshed.<\/p>\n
Where I was in my career and personally, it was the right time to step away and take that moment to refresh and get energized again.<\/p>\n
I know Steve Hilliard (a player agent) connected you with Molly. But I was wondering, who initiated the first conversation? What was it like?<\/p>\n
She reached out to me. I\u2019d characterize the first conversation as more exploratory on both ends. Ultimately, it obviously led to more conversations. I would have to say it was first productive.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Under first-year manager Kurt Suzuki, the Angels entered Tuesday with a 36-50 record. (Katelyn Mulcahy \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
When was the first one?<\/p>\n
I believe it was around June 7.<\/p>\n
In your role with the Cardinals the past few years, when you looked at the Angels, what did you see? How did you view the Angels?<\/p>\n
Well, I think the way I\u2019d answer that is that, obviously, they are a team in a robust market where finding a consistent pattern of winning was not happening. There are lots of things you can point to, lots of things I still need to learn about why. But my view of what was happening with the Angels is probably no different than most people\u2019s.<\/p>\n
There are things that just weren\u2019t going right. I don\u2019t know the answers yet. I\u2019ve only been here three days. But I\u2019m certainly going to spend a lot of time and energy trying to understand what do we need to do to get them to where they once were.<\/p>\n
A lot of people, including me, find it curious that you took the job without talking to Arte Moreno. Why were you comfortable doing that?<\/p>\n
In my time with Molly, she told me that she\u2019s responsible for this search, responsible for this hire. Subsequently, I have met with Arte since that (introductory news conference). I had breakfast with him (Monday). It was a productive meeting. When I left, I felt very positive.<\/p>\n
Do you have an understanding of his vision?<\/p>\n
I think he\u2019s going to rely a lot on what I think the vision needs to be. I definitely think there is going to be opportunity to have some autonomy in how we do it. Obviously, he\u2019s the owner. There\u2019s going to have to be communication and trust built.<\/p>\n
Mr. Moreno and I have met before. It wasn\u2019t like the first time we\u2019ve ever met. But as far as spending time together and understanding backgrounds and philosophies and all that, that was our first blush at that.<\/p>\n
It was a productive meeting. Molly was in attendance as well. The three of us talked about a lot of things. Did we iron any direct strategy out of it? No. I didn\u2019t want to come out of that with that. I feel like there are a lot of things I don\u2019t know yet. It\u2019s my responsibility to figure those out between now and when these certain deadlines approach.<\/p>\n
How long was the meeting?<\/p>\n
Probably two and a half, three hours.<\/p>\n
Are you the only person joining the organization? Or are you going to bring some other people with you?<\/p>\n
Good question, and one I don\u2019t know the answer to yet. I don\u2019t know where I necessarily need help yet. That\u2019s not to say I won\u2019t need help. But I\u2019m just starting to get an understanding of the landscape.<\/p>\n
Depending upon who is named GM, any chance you stick around as president of baseball operations?<\/p>\n
The person that ends up being GM, depending upon the relationship and who it is, there\u2019s always a certain possibility that there\u2019s a chance I stay around in some capacity. But that is not where my energy is right now. The short view right now is trying to understand how we run the draft, preparing for the draft. Then we\u2019ll flip the script to the trading deadline, build a strategy for that. Then, after that, the GM search will begin in earnest.<\/p>\n
Speaking of the draft, Perry had a big hand in who the Angels drafted. At times, it seemed like he was taking control. In your initial conversations Molly and Arte Moreno, has that come up? And how important is it to you for people in the organization to have more autonomy?<\/p>\n
Very important. That\u2019s obviously how I ran the Cardinals. And my expectations here are that the people in those roles step up and do those roles.<\/p>\n
Obviously, this is a unique situation where someone like myself steps in. We\u2019re definitely going to take a deep dive and understand what tools they use in their decision-making. Ultimately, my responsibility is to make sure we get the best players. But I am going to rely heavily on the existing staff to accomplish that.<\/p>\n
In recent years, under Perry, the Angels rarely drafted high school players in the upper rounds. The strategy has been mostly to go with college guys, then go over slot for high school players after the 10th round. Do you know if that was a preference of the owner\u2019s? And would you be allowed to draft a high-school player in the first round?<\/p>\n
I have no restrictions. We did discuss that (Monday). Not specifically on your Perry example. But I told him our goal is try to get the best player possible, whether it\u2019s a high school player or a college player. We\u2019ll see what that looks like. I don\u2019t know what that looks like today. But we have the freedom to do what we need to do.<\/p>\n
In your transition year in St. Louis, were there things you picked up about the modernization of player development and scouting, amateur and pro, that you will bring with you to Anaheim?<\/p>\n
I certainly hope so. I always feel like in baseball, the best way to describe it is, are you current? Do you know what\u2019s there? There are also skills from having wisdom and experience that also matter. But I also feel what I was witness to and what I learned about going through that transition certainly will be helpful moving forward.<\/p>\n
Albert Pujols. He\u2019s being paid $1 million per year to be an advisor to the Angels as part of a personal services contract. You obviously have a longstanding connection with him. How much have you thought about involving him in this process? Is that possible?<\/p>\n
We have connected via text. But at this point, there\u2019s so much I need to do with things I don\u2019t know before I worry about addressing some of the things I do know.<\/p>\n
If he wants more involvement, he\u2019s always going to be welcome. We both know his goal right now is to be a manager somewhere. But if there\u2019s something that helps bridge that in terms of having him available more to our minor leagues, big leagues, whatever that might look like, we haven\u2019t discussed it. But obviously, we\u2019re going to be open to it.<\/p>\n
Mike Trout. He has said repeatedly that he wants to stay in Anaheim and win in Anaheim. Have you met with him yet? And what would you like to know from him? What would you like to talk about?<\/p>\n
Excellent question, actually. I did meet with him. It was a very cursory introduction. I simply said to him, \u201cYou\u2019re the face of this franchise. You\u2019ve been here forever. I\u2019d love to sit down and get your insights about what\u2019s going on here.\u201d He told me he\u2019s welcome to that.<\/p>\n
In terms of trading him, that topic never came up, and I don\u2019t think it will.<\/p>\n
You developed numerous young players with the Cardinals, some more rapidly than others. The Angels under Perry often advanced their top prospects with greater consideration for the major-league team\u2019s needs than perhaps individual development. Does that need to change?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to assume your assumption is correct. I\u2019m not debating that at the moment. I definitely think that allowing players to grow at the minor-league level is always to their best benefit. There are times when people make reactionary moves because of certain needs. But if your record is not (at a place) where you\u2019re contending and pushing, it does seem like that might not be the smartest strategy.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\n Reid Detmers is one such player the Angels could trade at the deadline. (Thearon W. Henderson \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The trade deadline. If you choose, I won\u2019t say you can control the deadline, but you certainly can be a leading seller. You\u2019ve got (Jos\u00e9) Soriano, (Reid) Detmers, (Zach) Neto, (Jo) Adell. Teams generally listen on almost all players, I get that. But how will you go about determining what is the best course here?<\/p>\n
Working through that actually right now. I don\u2019t have a definitive strategy. Once we work through that, that would be something I would share with Molly and ownership just so they understand how we\u2019re thinking. I have not tackled that. But I get it. It\u2019s got to get done soon.<\/p>\n
Based on your initial conversations, are you generally confident that you\u2019ll be able to trade players as you see fit? If you wanted to trade Soriano and Detmers, could you do it?<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t want to answer that question in such a black-and-white scenario. All players in trade discussions have to (be under) some consideration. There could be a possibility where of course you need to make that deal because it\u2019s too good to pass up. But I\u2019m not going into it with X, Y and Z we\u2019re looking to move and we\u2019re going to take the very best we can get even if it\u2019s not good enough. That\u2019s not really the strategy we\u2019re thinking. Again, I don\u2019t have one yet. But I wouldn\u2019t recommend that.<\/p>\n
Do you think the team needs to rebuild?<\/p>\n
No. I don\u2019t think in this market you need to do that. I think what you need to do is understand what those arbitrages look like. You need to understand what the future free-agent market looks like.<\/p>\n
This team has resources. Now it\u2019s just making sure we deploy them correctly.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s interesting. You mention that, and some of the Angels\u2019 issues are related to funding. (Poor) facilities in Anaheim. Minor leaguers doing spring training off-site. Haven\u2019t spent much on free agents since (Anthony) Rendon. How much of this is simply going to come down to a greater financial investment?<\/p>\n
You touched on a broad spectrum of issues. I\u2019m just learning about their spring training situation recently. In terms of deployment for major-league payroll, I think Arte wants to see not just a quality product, but one that\u2019s competing, one that will get to October.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to say that. But what are we going to do to do that? What does that look like? What does that mean? That\u2019s something where I have to put pen to paper and explain how that looks.<\/p>\n
Last thing. As you know, a lot of people have come to Anaheim and tried to fix this place, GMs, coaches, managers. Why do you think with you there now this can be different?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always bet on myself. I\u2019m certainly entering this with some renewed energy. I\u2019m excited.<\/p>\n
Do I guarantee it\u2019s going to be a positive outcome? I can\u2019t. But I think with my experience, what I\u2019ve been exposed to, I bring a lot of resources that perhaps some of those other people you\u2019re referencing didn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n
The Athletic\u2019s Sam Blum and Katie Woo contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno, John Mozeliak represents something different. After taking control of the club…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":736027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[2322,363,99],"class_list":["post-736026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=736026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/736027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=736026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=736026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=736026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}